On New Year’s Day 2021, 25-year-old Peter Joseph F. Sallaffie and his companion Joseph Hale were traveling by snowmachine near Tuluksak, Alaska, returning to Bethel after visiting a relative. As darkness fell they took the hovercraft trail instead of the marked snowmachine trail at the mouth of the Tuluksak River and entered an unmarked area of open water on the Kuskokwim River. Peter was reported to be wearing a green jacket, black Carhartt snow pants and carrying a Ruger .22 rifle.

Witnesses from Tuluksak’s COVID-19 response team saw the men go into the frigid water. Volunteers from Tuluksak and nearby communities began searching immediately, though the effort was initially hampered by a lack of experienced personnel. Joseph Hale’s body was recovered that same weekend; searchers continued to drag the open hole in the river day after day seeking Peter. The open water was later marked with blue reflective tape to warn others.

Who in the region might have information about Peter’s last movements or the search efforts that followed?